Thousands of Oprah Winfrey’s fans gathered on Michigan Avenue as the talk show host planned to celebrate the 24th season of her show with a public taping on Tuesday that was to include the Black Eyed Peas and Rascal Flatts.
Thousands of Oprah Winfrey’s fans gathered on Michigan Avenue as the talk show host planned to celebrate the 24th season of her show with a public taping on Tuesday that was to include the Black Eyed Peas and Rascal Flatts. Diane Stimson lined up at 4:30 a.m., several hours before the taping was set to begin, and by the afternoon the 43-year-old Chicagoan was dancing behind a metal barrier as she waited. She called Winfrey an inspiration. "She worked her way to the top, and she made it," Stimson said. "She gives us all hope." Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Productions, has said it expects "thousands" of people to attend the event, which will also feature Jennifer Hudson, James Taylor and magician Criss Angel. The company said it would cover all costs for police, paramedics and sanitation at the outdoor taping. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" normally is taped elsewhere in Chicago. The special outdoor event will take place on a three-block stretch of Michigan Avenue near the Chicago River and have two blocks of audience members. It will shut down the famous downtown street — known as the Magnificent Mile for its upscale shopping — to traffic from early Monday through Wednesday morning. The taping is free and open to the public. General admission will close when the event reaches capacity. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has supported the taping, saying it will give the city global exposure and create jobs. It also comes just weeks before the International Olympic Committee will announce if Chicago will have the winning bid to host the 2016 Summer Games. During last year’s season premiere of Winfrey’s show, 6,000 fans crammed into Chicago’s Millennium Park as she celebrated more than 170 American Olympic medalists from the Beijing Games. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.